CMC and Chamber Choir Ireland are pleased to announce that, following an anonymous selection process, composers Anselm McDonnell, Sinéad Finegan, and Eoin Mulvany have been selected to participate in the Choral Sketches project for 2019.

Open to composers registered with CMC, Choral Sketches is a unique professional development opportunity for composers who wish to develop their skills in writing choral music, with mentoring from renowned composer Tarik O’Regan. The purpose of the initiative is to provide a creative and open environment for composers to deepen their experience in writing for voices in a choral context.

In addition to the mentoring received from Tarik O’Regan, each composer will have their sketches workshopped by Chamber Choir Ireland and conductor Paul Hillier in February 2019, with performance readings of the final works planned for Autumn 2019.

I enjoyed listening to the Chamber Choir Ireland concerts in Belfast for several years, for the high level of musicality they bring and their fearlessness in championing the contemporary repertoire of our island. This will be an invaluable opportunity for me to push the boundaries of my own choral writing and also explore new approaches through the workshops.

Anselm McDonnell

I’m delighted to have been selected to participate and look forward to immersing myself in choral composition. I hope to create new music that is both thoughtful and dramatic as part of this exciting project with the Contemporary Music Centre and Chamber Choir Ireland.

Sinéad Finegan

Chamber Choir Ireland display an enormous depth of passion in their performances, as well as an admirable openness in exploring new ideas and textures. It is a really exciting opportunity to be chosen to participate in this project, and I relish the prospect of trying out some ideas with them.